Love Is Like A River
by youlooklikethunder
Summary: 5 rather important and significant moments for The Doctor and River Song. (one-shot)


Title: Love Is Like A River

Pairing: 11th/River

Rating: PG

Summary: 5 rather rather important and significant moments for The Doctor and River Song.

Post-'The Wedding Of River Song'

Disclaimer: These characters and the show are all in Moffat-era land and are not mine.

**Authors Note: I know Dorium was the one who handed River the vortex manipulator but this little tweak in the story was too tempting to resist.**

* * *

><p><em><span>One<span>_

"I should have known, my love."

"Spoilers." As the word leaves his mouth it twists up in a warm smirk. This is the first time he visits her since Lake Silencio.

River Song was sitting in her cell, scribbling furiously in the freshly blue colored book. The images of America and of time disintegrating are still forefront in his mind and he's not sure where he stands with her now. River Song is indeed in prison for his murder and will be for the rest of her days. There comes the guilt again. It never leaves him.

The TARDIS is invisible for now so he sonics himself into her cell and approaches her warily. There are many things he's sure she wants to ask and he's not sure all the answers are in his ability to give.

It seems forever that the pen is in stride until she places it down and closes the journal, pushing it under her pillow. She finally sits up and faces him.

"So, to what do we owe this lovely visit then?" River smirks.

"Er-" He pauses.

River laughs, "It's so nice to watch you try to disentangle yourself sometimes, sweetie. Oh, but I do know why you've come. And it's alright. I understand."

He didn't quite follow her. "I'm sorry, understand what?"

River looked serene, patient. "It was an alternate reality, Doctor. Now, I'm not complaining about that kiss. Our first saved you from near death and now_ that's_ something to brag about but I'm no fool." She tugged on his bow tie affectionately.

"I know the difference between a means to and end and a fairytale ending." she sighed.

His hearts seems to fall down to the pit of his stomach. He hadn't expected for this conversation.

"I didn't want to kill you and you didn't want to marry me. I suppose we both held up our end of the bargain." River looked into his eyes with so much love and admiration. Ultimately the look she held was a look of the most understanding he's seen in a long, long time.

"River." He shakes his head. "I didn't mean it like that. I didn't-"

He started pacing her cell. He didn't expect this at all. He expected something entirely different; he didn't know what it was, but not this! A bit of banter, flirting, something! Not River standing here basically telling him what was ultimately sort-of, kind-of, basically true. It was an alternate reality and no, they weren't really married but that didn't mean… well it didn't mean – he doesn't even know what it means.

"River, I didn't mean it like that at all." He finally says.

"It's alright, sweetie." She presses on, gently. "Perhaps this way I can find myself. Find River Song."

He laughed softly. "You are River Song."

The Doctor reached out to touch her for the first time since he'd stepped into her cell. His hand caressed her cheek and that made her eyes fall shut slowly, pleasantly.

"River," he remembered the time. "The guards are almost going to come do their rounds, listen to me." He said sternly, making her eyes flutter open.

She looked upon him intently as he told her that he would be back.

He watched her face fall much further than he'd seen in a very long while. Watched her face fall almost a hard as he saw as it appeared for the first time (in his line of order, that is).

_"**Doctor, please tell me you know who I am."**_

_"**Who are you?"**_

_Two_

"How exactly do you keep barging in here without anyone noticing. Your TARDIS isn't exactly quiet because you refuse to use the blue stabilizers that's what they're made for you know."

"Ah, but she's in your head and don't try and behave now. I know you're just on the tip of ecstatic proportions over her presence River." He tisked.

"Alright then. We've figured out my lonesome dreams, what about you. How have you been?"

"I've been moving about, jumping into things, causing all sorts of chaos in peaceful harmony. And if you were lonely you could have called." The Doctor frowned.

"And if you would pick up I would." She shoots him a devious smile.

"So where are we? Did you get the slap yet?" River asked, running through pages once opening her blue book.

"Slap? Why a slap? What is it with you and slapping!" The Doctor rubs his cheek just at the thought.

"Oh, don't worry deary. It's a good one." She winks.

"Ah, best not spoil me but then again." He's tempted and stands right beside her, his breath hot against her ear. "I have a favor to ask."

She slowly turns her face to meet his. "Whatever could you need?" She's breathless, she can't help it.

The Doctor seems to feel the air change in the room and he can't help feeling sort of dizzy too.

"Would you look something up for me?"

River gives a small smile, almost knowing this moment would lead to an ultimate dead end.

"Give us a name?" She says, and writes it down. _Jack Harkness._

_Three_

It had been three months since the Doctor's last visit. It's not like she expected him to be back in one day but it had not exactly been a good three months either. She kept herself busy with what the Doctor had asked her to look up. There had been no message from him on why or what he was looking for but the man she was looking up was interesting enough. Also it helped on locating special items that she had finally been able to find and possibly have in her possession one day.

One specific gadget was called a vortex manipulator. The Doctor showed up right before she'd been able to figure out where and how she could pull this off from in the prison.

"River Song, how are you?" His ridiculous face popped out of the TARDIS, all smiles and glee.

"I'm doing absolutely swell, sweetie. In a cell with one rubbish window how do you think I'm doing?" She snapped.

"Oh, I think I've got the time wrong again." He bit his lip. "Always doing that."

River pulled on her shoes, grabbed the journal, and walked into the TARDIS to check on his mistake.

"You need to learn to fly her properly, you must be getting old." River joked, her tone now warmer. Definitely amused.

He shut the door and raced to her side.

"I have something for you. Something you need to put in your journal. Something you need to show no-one."

"This journal has never really seen the light of day, Doctor. You know that." River sighed.

The Doctor smiled, "I know. I'm sorry for that."

"You need to stop apologizing, my love." She smiled.

"Here. Happy Birthday." He handed her a very thin small box.

She undid the small bow and opened it; eyes alight when she looked back up at him. They were small photos.

"Those are all my faces." He beamed at her proudly.

She ran through them one by one. The funny thing is her heart fluttered a beat faster as she went through them all. When she looked back up at her Doctor, it almost hurt at how much love she felt for him.

_Four_

"Hello, Sweetie."

He jumps at the sound of her voice. He sees now she's been to Harkness. She can transport anywhere now with that gadget placed around her wrist. The Doctor dreads to think how Jack is now definitely on River's favorite person's list.

"River! You're supposed to be in prison, I'm going to go to you, not you come to me!" He grumbles.

"Oh, gender roles, is that what our relationship's come to now?" She teased.

"Well, that's not where I was going but how?" He asks.

"It's nearly Christmas, Doctor. Amy's got me pardoned for these three days, as long as I stay under house arrest but let's be honest that was never going to happen." River chuckled.

He leaned against the console. "And how did you get in, my doors are locked. How did you find me?"

"Child of the TARDIS, remember." She pointed to herself. "It seems she's been trying to get us in the same place for quite a while. I tracked her down a few times before but never got there fast enough."

The Doctor smiled and pets his darling TARDIS, "Ah, good ol' girl. Well then, my lovely woman on the run. What shall we do with you, we could go to-"

"I think you should take me back now. To my cell, that is. If you wouldn't mind."

He frowns. "Why?"

"Because mum and dad really shouldn't be about with the hassle of taking care of me when I can take care of myself. And I do have a sentence to serve, sweetie." River shrugs.

"Marry me." He says.

River looks at him for a long while. "That's not funny." She laughs.

"I never said it was, River Song, Melody Pond. Marry me. Be my wife, whatever other way can I say it?" He strides up to her.

"You can stop saying it." He starts to see anger slowly show as it starts to blush on her skin. She pushes past him and starts up the TARDIS herself.

"River." He tries to get her to stop but she's still moving past him and setting up the time and location.

"River." He tries again. This time she stops and bumps into his chest when she turns around.

"Doctor, I know you feel guilty but I really am alright. I'm fine and I-"

She was cut off with a kiss.

It was definitely much better than she had remembered. She had remembered their last kiss to the very detail but it was nothing like this. Nothing like the entry in her journal that she had written in precise detail and read and reread and dreamt about. No, this was so sweet and this was him.

When he dropped her off at her cell, she still hadn't answered him.

"Merry Christmas, River Song."

"Merry Christmas, sweetie."

_Five_

When he shows up on this night she runs into his arms and kisses him. It's almost as if she couldn't wait a moment longer. He's smug as he pulls her closer against his chest.

"I take that as a good hello." He laughs.

"I take you're a bit late." She points out.

"Right, um, well, I was actually looking for something. It took quite a while since I had to go through the entire TARDIS."

"You could just ask her, sweetie." River rolled her eyes, feeling the TARDIS scold him as well. Also something new, something full of excitement ran through the TARDIS.

"It was something I had to do alone. Look at you two, I can't do anything right when you're together." The Doctor grumbled.

"Fine then, what was it?" River sat down.

"Well, if I could find it, ah! There it is." He pulled something out of his jacket pocket and then hid it back in before River could even get a glimpse of what it was.

"River." He sat beside her. "River look at me. I'm going to ask you something very important and I need you to answer it. My entire future depends on it."

"What is it?" River sat alert.

"This is very old, River. Very delicate. In fact its one of a very small amount besides this blue box that I've let myself hang onto from back home. From Gallifrey." The Doctor pulled out of his pocket what appeared to be a very old and very delicate piece of cloth. Its not a bowtie that he had wrapped around her wrist on the pyramid. No, it looks ancient and it's the proper piece of cloth if it is what she think it is. She could be wrong so she tries not to hope.

Then the words she'd wished to hear for so long leave his lips.

"Will you marry me?"

This time it was done right. Rory got to actually give her away this time, no teselecta and no eye patches.


End file.
